


to drift (away with me)

by daegusoftboys



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: M/M, Pacific Rim - Freeform, authoritive wonwoo i guess and a tech savvy minghao, bad pun as a title, drift compatible verkwan, jaeger!verkwan, no romance here just bros fighting to save the world, verkwan au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-09
Updated: 2021-01-09
Packaged: 2021-03-13 05:46:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,298
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28648521
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/daegusoftboys/pseuds/daegusoftboys
Summary: pacific rim au in which a category four kaiju surfaces near busan and the Nova Hyperion finally gets to fight on home territory
Relationships: Boo Seungkwan/Chwe Hansol | Vernon
Comments: 4
Kudos: 8





	to drift (away with me)

**Author's Note:**

> this drabble was written to accompany a moodboard i made and is just an intro basically, i wasn't too sure about writing more/an actual kaiju fight so for now this will do.

"Boo, Choi, you're up."

A fist pounds against their heavy, already open door and Seungkwan nearly topples out of his bunk at the sudden, aggressive call of his last name. He should be used to it by now, but it still sounds so foreign to him.

"Where to, sir?" Vernon inquires, already lacing his boots with a calm that is miles away from what Seungkwan is feeling.

"Busan," the Marshal states, and Vernon can hear his roommate suck in a breath. His fingers still for a moment, taking in the information. He and Seungkwan have both been dreading _and_ longing for this moment, both missing their home base with every passing minute. They're finally going home, albeit he wishes the circumstances were different. 

Seungkwan and Vernon have been at the Nagasaki Shatterdome for years now. The Jaeger program had seen the light of day in 2014, when they were a mere 16 years old. As soon as they turned 18, they'd signed up for the Defense Corps. The idea of helping to save the world on such a large scale had thrilled them. They were young and full of fire. And it would definitely win them cool-points. 

Neither of them had ever expected to actually pilot a Jaeger though, yet here they were.

Vernon attempts to suppress a grin as he dons his armour but stops trying when he sees it mirrored on Seungkwan's face. They lock eyes for a moment, silence settling between them as they bask in the pre-combat jitters that always leave the room feeling somewhat charged. Like all that was needed right now was a tiny spark to set their soul on fire in the best possible way.

Seungkwan adjusts the shirt under his chest piece and chews at his cheek. He could never decide on his favourite part of battle—the actual fight and inevitably defeating the Kaijus - enormous alien beasts with neon acid for blood -, or drifting with Vernon to be able to do it. 

It's pointless anyway, he guesses, as the two are firmly entwined.

The first time Vernon and Seungkwan drifted, he threw up. The experience of Vernon's entire being fusing with his had been too much for his body to withstand. Seungkwan shivers at the memory, checking his gear one final time before jogging to catch up with his partner and the Marshall already heading up to the Jaeger station. 

The Jaegers have to be operated by two (or more) pilots as they neurally connect into the interface of the machine. It requires a strong mental and physical bond between pilots and Jaeger, and can only come to fruition if both pilots are on the exact same wavelength, moving and thinking as one. 

Through the neural bridge (known as The Drift), Seungkwan has felt Vernon's deepest fears, his greatest desires, and seen his most precious memories. And inevitably, vice versa. He'd feel slightly embarrassed about it all if not for the fact that he'd known Vernon since they were 5 and nothing about what they'd shared on their first drift had been new information to him. 

He was still getting used to it, though. Sharing mind and body with his best friend. Like scientifically engineered soulmates. 

He wasn't going to lie—the Drift itself was exhausting, but at the same time exhilarating. He never felt more alive than when his soul connected with Vernon's, bodies in sync and heart on his sleeve. There was no place to hide in the Drift. It was both extremely vulnerable and incredibly empowering.

When they reach the station, their Nova Hyperion is already whirring with power. The metal monstrosity looms over them, standing at 250 feet tall, and the core is radiating a bright orange light that bounces off the bulletproof window in front of them. The sight never fails to send a rush of adrenaline through their veins, like an electric current shooting up their spine to kick them into gear. Seungkwan inhales, an incredulous chuckle escaping him at the thought of two tiny humans making the giant robot move with their _minds_. Every time he's about to board the Jaeger, the idea seems all the more ridiculous to him.

"What are we up against this time?" Vernon asks as he walks up to the control booth where Xu Minghao is fervently pressing button after button. His eyes are glued to the radar in front of him, a red blip appearing in and out of vision. "Category 4. There's only one but it's going to give you a run for your money," he notes, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose with a slender finger. "Wonwoo thinks there may be more on the way," he continues and nods in the direction of a man bent over a map, racking his hand through his already messy hair.

"I could be wrong," Wonwoo states as Seungkwan approaches the table, "but I rarely am, so we're dropping off three additional Jaegers to back you up."

" _Three_?" Seungkwan is almost insulted at the lack of faith their team seems to have in them. Wonwoo gives him a look.

"Don't get cocky. Cocky gets you killed." 

Seungkwan repays the warning with a fake smile and a repeated nod. "Better safe than dead, I guess," he says, mimicking Wonwoo's cautionary tone. The elder doesn't smile back. 

"The Swedes will back you up," he continues as if Seungkwan never spoke, "and so will the Silva sisters, and Trohman and Barker." Vernon crinkles his nose at the latter, wanting to comment but swallowing his words as he notices Wonwoo glaring at him across the table. 

Minghao comes up behind his superior and kneads at his tensed shoulders. "Relax, they've got this," he states, half reassuring Wonwoo but mostly himself. Minghao is great at putting up a cool front, even with his heart hammering against his chest in an uneven rhythm - which he feels kind of stupid for because it's not like he's the one putting his life on the line - but he'd be lying if he said every moment Seungkwan and Vernon boarded that Jaeger didn't fill him with dread, not knowing if his colleague's (his _friends_ ) would make it out alive. 

"Yeah, we got this!" Seungkwan beams, his fingers curling into a fist in front of his chest. "We've got home turf advantage, a little South Korean magic in the air to lift our spirits." 

"You'll be fighting in water," Wonwoo feebly reminds him but straightens his back nonetheless, swiping the table to pull up the now holographic map being projected into thin air. "We'll drop you here," he points, 30 miles off the shore of Busan. "Not ideal since it's still too close to the city to my liking but I don't want to expose you to too much water pressure." 

Seungkwan nods as Vernon approaches the table, pulling on his gloves. "Does it have a name?" 

Minghao blinks, taking a moment before realising Vernon meant the Kaiju. He purses his lips, thinking fast. "Stentax," he decides, remembering that Vernon likes to put a name to his opponent. It ups the stakes for him, making it more personal. As if defending his home country wasn't incentive enough to obliterate it.

"Great. Are you ready?" 

Seungkwan tears his eyes away from the map and realises Vernon's addressing him. "Uh, yeah," he says, glancing at Minghao who's positioned himself back behind the controller. A second red blip appears on the radar, moving unsteady but fast—just like Wonwoo predicted. 

He can hear the blood rushing in his ears, faintly registering Minghao confirming The Breach has spewed a second Kaiju—a category 3 this time. Seungkwan locks his jaw, his features hard under the orange glow of his Jaeger's core. 

"Ready as ever." 

At this, Vernon smirks. "Let's go." 


End file.
